Five Father’s Day experiences and event gift ideas for dads who love cars
Looking for a Father's day gift idea for your dad who loves cars and driving? We've got you covered.Is trying to buy for your dad a challenging experience because he is the man who has everything? Socks and jocks aren't going to cut it so why not change things up and get him an experience or tickets to an event this year? Here are five car-related experiences and events that will get him revved up.
Australian F1 GP 2023 tickets
Albert Park in Melbourne will once again play host to the third race in the 2024 Formula 1 season from Thursday, 21 to Sunday, 24 March. If your Dad is a big F1 fan then tickets to join what is expected to be another record-breaking crowd for the Australian Grand Prix is a must.
There's a choice of tickets including the Park Pass which is a fancy name for general admission, grandstand tickets as well as some hospitality experiences with free-flowing drinks and food. Off the track, blockbuster musical acts will headline the Main Stage, multiple opportunities to get up close and personal with your favourite drivers, a dedicated family zone and an array of culinary options and hospitality experiences will be on offer.
Tickets for Saturday and Sunday start from $119 for the Park Pass.
Stunt Driving School Experience
Does your dad think he is a stunt driver by the way he drives around town? Well, why not give him real-life experience in a safe environment with experts with a stunt driving experience.
Put him in the driver’s seat alongside experienced instructors who will be with him in a Toyota 86 to help him master each of the following stunt driving exercises:
- 180 Degree handbrake turn parallel spin parking
- Multiple 360-degree spins on the unique Split Surface System
- Take a wild ride on two wheels in the two-wheeling car
- Receive a certificate of completion
Stunt Driving School supply the cars, safety equipment, and professional instructors. He will just need a current driver's licence and should be competent in driving a manual transmission vehicle.
The Melbourne Stunt Experience starts from $249 per driver.
Porsche Track Experience Australia
If your dad is a Porsche fan then this track experience is for him. This day is aimed at first-time participants and those who want to build and refresh their driving knowledge, it teaches the fundamentals of vehicle control, with practise sessions taking place at the Mt Cotton Training Centre - a safe environment for simulating the kind of hazardous situations you may face in everyday traffic at various speeds.
The Porsche vehicles available to drive on the day include 718 Boxster, 718 Cayman, 718 Cayman GTS 4.0, 911 Carrera, 911 Carrera GTS, Macan GTS, Taycan 4S.
The training day skills and activities include:
- Correct seating position, steering and vision control
- High-speed ABS emergency braking and accident avoidance
- Introduction to the racing line
- Load-changing scenarios
- Understeer and oversteer
- Slalom and handling section
- Efficient use of the Electronic Stability System
- Closed road circuit lapping
- Driving style assessment
- Passenger ride in 911 GT3
- Cayenne off-road four-wheel drive experience (demonstration)
The experience at RACQ Mobility Centre of Excellence, Mt Cotton, Queensland costs $1,718 per driver.
Audi Dynamic driving experience
This one-day experience will change your dad as a driver. The Audi professional driving team will teach him to drive at a level he never knew he was capable of (or maybe he did think he was capable but now it could be done in a safe environment).
From ultimate car control to dynamic driving at speed, he will build skills, expertise and a whole new level of confidence and be able to move those skills from the road to the track. He will get the opportunity to drive a variety of vehicles from the Audi RS range as well as arguably the world’s fastest SUV on the Nürburgring, the RS Q8.
The training day skills and activities include:
- Steering slalom
- Wet skid identification and control plus oversteer practice
- High-speed ABS emergency braking with obstacle avoidance
- Cornering theory and practice
- Motorkhana competition
- Open track lapping
The Audi Dynamic driving experience is available at Sydney Motorsport Park and Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit and costs $1,395.
Bathurst 1000 tickets and paddock pass
The Repco Bathurst 1000 on 5 – 8 October 2023 will mark a historic milestone, celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Great Race at Mount Panorama. This bucket-list event is a must for motorsport fans both new and old and one not just for dad but the whole family.
As well as the action on track all weekend, there’s just as much to see off the track too with live music, historic car displays, family entertainment, merchandise stalls and loads of food options. As well as general admission and grandstand seats, you can also grab yourself a Paddock Pass which gets you behind the scenes where the teams park their massive B-double transporters. Take a peek into the garages and dad may even score a driver's autograph.
A Saturday and Sunday general admission pass starts from $132 and the Paddock Pass add-on is $43.
Related: The dad-car phenomenon
Related: Learner drivers turn to Dad
Related: Five gifts for dads that are handy in the garage
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